We seek applicants who will develop or continue vigorous research programs at the interface of organic, analytical, and physical chemistry with materials or biological sciences. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, materials organic and bio-organic chemistry, spectroscopy of macromolecules and biomacromolecules, and the use of physical methods to study and characterize molecules and materials at interfaces.

11 comments:

GIven the cost of living in the SF Bay area, I'm not sure that you come out ahead very much with that salary. Also, it is a DOE position, which probably means needing a security clearance to walk in the door, and having to get preclearance for trips outside the country (yes, even a weekend in Baja). I'm sure they are doing some interesting science, but I wouldn't apply without being clear-headed about the setting.

A few years ago it was famously lucrative to get a postdoc position at Los Alamos or (maybe?) Pacific Northwest National Labs. In fact most of the people i saw go there never left and are still there, as some sort of group leaders. Seemed to be a materials version of postdoc at a medical school and hoping for a long-term research associate position.

Maybe others out there have more information on if that's still true at other national labs?

I started as a post-doc at LLNL in 1992, and the salaries for post-docs were competitive then with many other entry-level Ph.D. jobs, as they are now. Depending on what you work on, clearances may or may not be required, so check it out if you're interested. Yes, in general the Bay Area is expensive, but there are affordable housing options. I was hired as a staff chemist after my post-doc ended in 1994, and it's been a very rewarding career with no end of interesting science to work on. Bonus points for Livermore having almost 60 wineries and a vibrant downtown!

OK, I am fairly certain the postdoc position is atypical. It is for a Lawrence Fellow. This is a more prestigious postdoc than most. My postdoc at a national lab was through DOE and paid 52k/year. (I am NOT complaining). This national lab also had competitive Fellow type postdocs that were paid above 70k/year.

Had a post-doc at LBL. Paid in the 40's. Knew someone with position at Livermore but left to come to Berkeley because apparently you can't use gmail at Livermore. He also didn't like it that he had to account for his time spent (writing down what he did every hour). He had connections at Berkeley Lab and decided life would be easier there.